New Delhi: When someone is going through cancer treatment, priorities change fast, as patients learn which symptoms deserve a phone call to the doctor
and which ones can wait. Vomiting, fever, and breathlessness—these are taken seriously. Eye trouble usually isn’t. A little blurring, some watering, irritation—most people assume these are minor side effects that will settle on their own. They often don’t.
In an interaction with News9Live, Dr. (Col) Rajneesh Sinha, Senior Consultant, Sharp Sight Eye Hospitals, listed some key eye cancer symptoms that must never be ignored.
Doctors who treat cancer patients say eye complaints are among the most underreported problems they see. Not because patients don’t notice them, but because they don’t think they matter enough to mention. Many bring it up only when vision has already worsened.
In most cases, dryness is usually the starting point. Eyes that burn, sting, or feel gritty all day—patients usually buy drops from the chemist, use them occasionally, and move on. Cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, radiation, and newer targeted drugs, can disrupt tear production. Meanwhile, steroids, which are commonly prescribed, add to the problem.
In fact, when dryness lingers, it can damage the eye’s surface and make infections more likely, especially when immunity is low. What feels like a nuisance can quietly turn into a bigger issue.
Also, blurred vision is another symptom people tend to wait out—it comes and goes at first, so it doesn’t feel urgent. Fatigue is blamed. Sometimes age. But treatment can affect vision in many ways—by raising eye pressure, altering blood flow, affecting nerves, or speeding up cataract formation. When blurring persists, worsens, or affects one eye more than the other, waiting rarely helps.
Meanwhile, redness and pain in the eye are more serious than most people realise. During cancer treatment, even mild infections can escalate quickly—most of the time, something that looks like irritation one day can become severe inflammation within days. Pain, light sensitivity, discharge, or a sudden drop in vision should never be ignored or self-treated.
Some symptoms are easy to misread. Excessive watering, for instance, is often dismissed asan allergy or dust exposure. In patients who have had radiation to the head or neck, watering can point to blocked tear ducts or chronic inflammation. These problems may show up months after treatment ends, long after patients believe they are “done” with side effects.
Floaters and flashes of light sit in a grey zone. Many people have floaters and are told not to worry. During or after cancer treatment, a sudden increase, flashes of light, or a shadow creeping into the field of vision should be checked. Certain treatments increase the risk of retinal bleeding or damage. Early action can prevent permanent vision loss.
Double vision is one symptom patients quietly adapt to. They close one eye, tilt their head, and avoid reading or night driving. They don’t always report it. Double vision can indicate nerve involvement or muscle weakness and should always be evaluated, even if it seems manageable.
What surprises many patients is that eye problems don’t always end with treatment. Some appear much later. Radiation-related damage, steroid-induced glaucoma, cataracts, and nerve changes can develop months or even years after therapy. Childhood cancer survivors and those treated for brain, head, or neck cancers are especially vulnerable. Regular eye checkups are often overlooked in long-term follow-up.
There is also hesitation. Many patients feel uncomfortable raising “small” complaints when dealing with something as serious as cancer. Doctors consistently say this hesitation is misplaced. Vision affects independence, safety, and quality of life in very real ways. Cancer care today is not only about surviving the disease. It is about how well people live after it. Paying attention to everyday eye symptoms—even the ones that seem minor—is part of that care. Sometimes, what we choose to ignore does the most damage.
